Carry Me Home
by EmiStrider
Summary: Your name is Dave Strider and you are living with your abusive older brother. You can't help but feel that life is not worth living anymore if there is no more hope for you. High school is hell enough, your home life is worse. Until a new bucktoothed kid waltzes into your life. Humanstuck (applies only to the trolls pretty much) May have triggers later on.
1. Chapter 1: A Trophy Fathers Trophy Son

**AN #1: Hey, guys, this is my first ever Homestuck fic (Oh my god, Emi, what a accomplishment). But, since I've been gushing over how cute JohnDave is (and also my gf and I have been talking about how we're like JohnDave otl).But, this is a AU where Dave lives with his drunk abusive Bro (Dirk is a completely different person from Bro, you'll see eventually) and John is this kind of carefree kid and lives with his recently divorced Dad (but, he has some secrets too. You'll see later). Also, I've had a shit ton of trouble with this... Like a lot cause my word processor would randomly stop working and like the idiot I am, I kept forgetting to save. Anyways, EMI STOP BLABBING! Enjoy :)**  
**Pairings: JohnDave, DirkJake (you'll see why c;), RoseMary (mentioned and eventually they come into play), SolKat (to the side), TavGam (to the side), and more. (Jegus, this is turning into a commercial or somefin)**  
**I don't own Homestuck, but if I did JohnDave would be canon.**

EDIT:  
THIS MAY CONTAIN SOME TRIGGERS!  
SO, TRIGGERS!  
TRIGGER WARNING!  
RIGHT HERE  
RIGHT NOW!  
(I'm sounding like a shouty version of Kankri)  


* * *

Your name is Dave Strider and once again you find yourself on the cold kitchen floor, nursing your newly given black eye with a cold bag of carrots. You slowly set the bag down next to you and take in a deep frustrated sigh. You could feel your wrist on your right hand throbbing with pain and your lip is gushing out with blood. You hear the sound of your Bro's loud DJing in his room and you clench your non-swollen hand in frustration.  
_"Why the fuck does he act like everything is okay; when it's not?"_ You think to yourself.  
Once again, your dear older brother had came home in a drunken rage. You were used to the pain though. Ever since your birthday, which was six months ago, you have dealt with his constant abuse. You never understood why he always took it out on you, but you did know that he was never sorry for what he did to you. Even though you were sixteen, that never stopped him from using you as his personal punching bag.

You never landed a blow on him in fear that you might end up in the hospital for the rest of your miserable life. But, eventually as the beatings continued, you had grown used to the pain from afterwards. You always fixed yourself up very well, so well that nobody even noticed. Honestly, you didn't want anyone to notice. This was your problem and not theirs to stick their business in. Social workers have came and asked you about him, and you always said the same thing. He was the best Bro ever, and you couldn't wish for anyone better. But, you're lying just to keep them off your case. He was the worst, not the best. He fed you though, even though most of the time it was take-out or something fast that he never cooked. He takes care of you though, even though he never even once took you to a Doctor to be checked up on. But, you both didn't really want the doctors all up in your business.

You look at your swollen wrist and run a shaky hand through your blonde hair with your good hand. Your crimson eyes glance over the broken glass beer bottles from this past week. You were lucky enough to have your red high tops on during this round, or else you probably would have cuts on the bottom of your feet (again) from the glass. You wipe your lip with the back of your hand and let out a frustrated sigh. You rub your hands against your black skinny jeans and slowly you rock yourself; trying to regain your cool.

You had to get up, live on and keep your cool. Like always. You shakily grab the tops of the counter above you with your hands, ignoring the flaring pain in your twisted hand. You manage to pull yourself up and you're leaning over the counter for support. The pain in your wrist has numbed to a slight throb. You turn on the sink and slash come water on your face. You fan feel the blood from your busted lip die down. Your crimson eyes travel over to your aviators that sat on the counter. You turn off the sink and reach other to place them on your face. The worse part of the night was over, and you had left the battle with more bruises than normal.

You hear Bro's music grows quiet. It's most likely he plugged his headphones in and is now probably working on his newest DJing project. You sighed and work your way over to your shoes. You decide it was best to leave your apartment until you have recovered completely. You slowly put on your red converse and grab your red sweatshirt. You carefully slip it over your head and take a look at your living room. It was it's normal mess, but there was some beer bottles littered around. The TV was still on with your previously paused video game that you were playing before Bro came in drunk. You turned back to face the door and quietly open it up to reveal the hallway. Even though Bro wasn't probably listening, you still didn't want him to know that you were leaving or else he might end up breaking a few more of your bones.  
You welcome the emptiness of the hallway as an old friend. There were many nights where Bro would lock you out of the apartment and you would sleep in the hallway until the morning when you had school. You quietly walk to the stairs that led to the roof. You didn't want to wake the other tenants in the building. You're pretty sure Ms. Mullins (or Ms. Crazy-Cat-Lady, as you like to call her) would call Bro and complain if you were any louder than a whisper. You creep up the staircase and soon find yourself pushing against the metal single door.  
The cool New York City air hits you like a hurricane. The weather was different from your hometown in Texas, which you actually liked. The heat was like living in hell, literally. You look up at the usually clear sky of the city and smirk. The stars were shining especially bright tonight and the moon was full and shining down over the earth. You take in a sharp breath and walk over to the usual spot you usually sat at. You dangle your feet over the edge of the roof and look down at the road beneath you. There were some cars rushing by, but as far as you can see, there was no real traffic. Everything was calm for once in this busy city, and it made you feel uncomfortable.

Maybe it was the loneliness talking within you or maybe the silence. But, for some reason, you wanted someone to be here to tell you everything was all right and that you didn't have to go back to him. But, there was no one around. The only real person you could talk to about this was your cousin, Rose, but she was always busy with her girlfriend to even talk to you anymore. There were two other people, but you would rather not think about them right now. If they knew what Bro did to you tonight; they would literally give birth to a damn cow.

"Explain to me why the fuck you're out here in the cold at 3 a.m.?" You nearly jump at the voice, but you manage to keep your cool.  
"Why not?" You reply in a snarky tone.  
The person that spoke to you casually sat down next to you. You glance up to see familiar pointy anime shades and blonde swept back hair. You look across at the city the lied below you.  
"Haha," Dirk replies in a not amused tone. "But seriously, kid, what are you doing up here?"  
"Can't a bro enjoy looking at a beautiful city without questioning?"  
"... You usually come up here if you've had a rough night with Bro."  
A cold silence falls between you two. Dirk is quietly looking at the street below while you sat there somewhat irritated with him. It wasn't his business to know what really happened between you and Bro. "I guess you've noticed, huh?" You reply in a cool and even tone. Masking your irritation.  
Dirk smirks.  
"Well, it's kind of obvious. Most people don't notice it, but I do. The bruises and the occasional broken bones (especially your wrists) aren't always covered up very well. Jake and I have been noticing that it's getting worse each time we see you."  
"Why haven't you and Jake done anything about it then?" You ask in irritation. "If your so fucking concerned about me, then prove it."  
You hear Dirk let out a deep frustrated sigh.  
"We're really trying, Dave." He says. "The social services aren't just going to let two recently turned 22 gay guys have a teenager straight off the bat. Also, Bro's your guardian. We can't just rescue you as if you were some princess in distress. It just doesn't work like that."  
"I know that, Dirk." You reply in annoyance. "It's just... Can't you at least try?"  
"I dunno, lil man." He replies shrugging. "We can't just barge into your apartment and go fuck shit up with your Bro. We have to make us seem like the stable candidates to become your guardians. You get what I'm saying?"  
You nod in response. Now that you thought about it; it would end up screwing everyone except Bro. You drum your fingers against the brick of the edge of the building. Dirk is sitting there next to you quietly, waiting for your response.  
"I understand." You say quietly. "I'm just so sick of it, Dirk. I'm tired of being the victim. He treats me like shit and I'm about to reach my limit. I just... don't think I can live like this anymore..."  
"Dave, don't say that."  
You feel your eyes water up. You bite your lip and close your eyes. Taking in a deep breath, you remind yourself to keep your cool. Nobody will ever see you cry; not even him and not even Dirk.  
"How can I not? It's not like I have any worth. Bro just abuses me, and it's not like I have any friends at school besides Karkat and Terezi."  
"Dave, I swear if you pull this suicidal shit on me, I'm going to straightjacket you and make you stay with Jake and I."  
"I wouldn't actually mind that." You reply smirking.  
You can sense Dirk rolling his eyes at you. "Point is, kid, you are worth something. You just haven't realized it yet. I mean, Jake and I are actually having a stable relationship now because of you."  
"And why's that?"  
"Because we have you to worry about together. We both care about you, and I'm pretty sure your friends from school care about you too."  
A moment of silence falls between you two. Dirk brushes off his black pj bottoms and looks at you.  
"Well, I think both of us need to get some sleep." He says breaking the silence. "Besides, you have school tomorrow."  
You let out a groan. God, you hated school. It was like a reality zoo. You had your gazelles (the students), the lions (the bullies), and of course the zookeepers that never really cared about what happened to these animals. You never really associated yourself with your school. but honestly you didn't want to, you just wanted to get out as soon as you could so you could kick off your DJ career as full time instead of only on weekends. If you could be a full-time Dj, maybe you could escape away from your Bro instead of having to go through all this mess. You hear Dirk sigh and stand up. You look up at him and raise a questionable eyebrow.  
"I'm going back to my apartment." He says.  
"You're not going to watch the sunrise with me? You usually do since we both know you have nothing else to do since Jake wakes up early to prepare his lectures."  
The other blonde just frowns at you.  
"You and I both know that we need sleep. Mainly, you if you don't want your Bro to go off the deep end like he usually does."  
"It's not like he hasn't done it before." You huff.  
"Just promise me you'll get at least two hours of sleep before school?"  
You nod in return and he nods back. You watch as he retreats back into the building and turn your attention back to the horizon. You can see slight rays peaking over the river and some lights dying down. It was finally back to being peaceful and alone. Just what you needed right now. You honestly didn't want to go back to your apartment where he was at. You'd rather have went with Dirk and asked to stay over at his place, but yet you didn't. Dirk and Jake had been kind to you ever since the first night you were kicked out into the hallway. They had just recently moved in across from you and were out getting groceries when they saw you lying in the hallway. They eventually invited you to stay over at your place and that's how you got to know them better. For the past month, you have been growing closer to them.

It was just three weeks ago when you finally told them about what's been going on between you and your Bro and since then, they've been trying to help you out. You almost thought of them as your other guardians because of how well they took care of you. They treated you as if you were their own kid. You lose yourself in your thoughts for an hour or so and soon realize that eventually you had to go back in and face your older brother again. This couldn't be avoided any longer. You get back up, and wince slightly. The pain is finally setting in, but it wasn't as bad as it was before you left. You sluggishly walk to the door, open it, and casually walk down the stairs. You return back to your floor and walk past the other quiet, oblivious apartments.

You could hear the faint sound of a TV blasting through one of the doors, but other than that, it was dead quiet in the hallway. You approach your door and quietly open the door. Luckily, your Bro must have went to bed, because the apartment looked untouched from where you last left it. Your video game was still on pause and you could hear the faint humming of the florescent lights in the kitchen. You quietly make your way upstairs to your room. You open the door and your greeted by the familiar mess. Your floor is littered with the occasional dirty clothes, smuppets (which your brother is obsessed with and thinks you like them... which you do for ironic purposes), and other stuff that you liked to call your shit. Your turntables are sitting next to your desk with your computer on it. It wasn't the best computer, but it wasn't total shit like most peoples.

Your bed lies in the corner of your room, and you make your way to it; grabbing your iPod and red headphones from your desk. You crawl onto your bed and make yourself comfortable on the left side of your bed. You only bother in stripping off your sweater and your pants, which leaves you in your black boxers and you normal red and white broken record shirt. You slip on your headphones over your ears and turn on some Eminem. His rapping always calmed you down. Maybe it was something about how you can relate to him that comforted you. It's like he understands how hard it is to be a kid from a broken home and to have a guardian that doesn't give one single shit about you.  
_ "This has to eventually stop." _You think to yourself._ "You can do it. You can totally stop him from hurting you again."_  
But, you knew, deep down inside that was utter bullshit. This was never going to stop until you move out and get away from him. You just had to keep up the cool façade until you can get out of here. As long as nobody else gets into your business; you can do it. Dirk and Jake are your ticket out and for once you have to put your trust into them to help you. You never really trusted people, but you had to put some trust into them two. But, for now, you have to endure the pain. You just hope you can leave faster before you go off the deep end. You let out a tired sigh and eventually you fall fast asleep to the sound of Eminem rapping about his life.

* * *

**AN#2:**  
**Ahahaha, sorry for this guys. Anyways, reviews are greatly appreciated. Um, I'm a bit worried I may got OOC. So, if I did, please tell me~ Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this. Trust me, it's not going to be this sad all the time. Besides, the next chapter, I introduce John (the boy that is the most adorkable boy ever XD)**  
**Anyways, see you guys in the next chapter c:**  
**(Also, I do like critics. Like, if my grammar is wrong, you can gladly tell me and I won't jump all over your case. Also, I like it whenever people give me some helpful advice and such XD Just no flames please~)**  
**~Emi**


	2. Chapter 2: Lost Boy

**AN:**  
**Askljelkdjsrkjgs, awwwww thank you guys for the good reviews ;u;**  
**The ButterflyKiller: First, off, sweet name. Second, awe thanks. I've actually never really read that many fics about Bro being abusive so I guess this is a start. But, you're welcome. Stay tuned, it gets worse (jkjk, but I do admit some parts I feel are going to be a bit... triggering.)**  
**cooliochick5: Ahaha, thanks ;u; Trust me, there will be more. I actually plan on updating this fic at least once a week (if I skip a week, then twice the next week)**  
**ThaneOfStorm: Like I've been saying, stay tuned ;]**  
**WhiteAndRedRoses: Yo, thanks for reviewing~ Anyways, I'll update whenever I can get inspiration and also beat writer's block (cause I tend to get that a lot)~**

**Also, thanks to all the people that favorited this and are following it~ I promise I don't disappoint.**  
**Anyways, I need to get to the story so I'm just going to shut up. (Ooooo, John's being introduced!)**

**I do not own Homestuck, if I did I would have Dave and John dress all classy everyday and DirkJake would be back together.**

* * *

Once again, you wake up to the sound of emptiness. Your music had shut off on its' own sometime ago and it left an eerie silence. You didn't like it. You glanced at your red electric alarm clock on your bedside table (which read 6:30 AM) and decide it was best to get up and get ready for school. School.  
School was hell for you. It's worse enough you get abused at home, but at school it never let up. You had some friends, but most of them weren't the close to you. You never really invited people over because of your Bro. But, who would want to even stay in the same apartment as him? Oh, right, you did. You let out a tired sigh and stare at the ceiling for a little bit. You hoped that Bro wasn't up yet. If he was, then you really wanted to avoid him. Even though he would probably be hung over, you still didn't want to risk encountering him. You carefully move your legs out of your bed first and your feet come in contact with the cold hard wood flooring. You then stand up and stretch out every muscle in your body. Your wrist still ached from where you had hurt it earlier that morning. You went to go reach for your shades on your bed stand but then you quickly remembered that you fell asleep with them on which earns a sigh of relief. At least, they cover the black eye that still feels swollen.  
You peak inside your closet and grab a familiar red shirt long sleeved shirt with a record on it. You never really wore short sleeves because you wanted to hide the bruises on your arms. If people noticed that would lead into questions, and really you didn't feel like answering them. You strip out of your shirt you slept in and glance over at the damage on your arms. There were some cuts and bruises, but other than those, your arms didn't seem as bad as they normally were. There was your swollen wrist, but nobody really pays attention to wrists unless, of course, their some sort of freak who has a fetish for wrists. But, you have yet to come across a person like that.  
You slowly slip the other shirt over your head. It hurts your wrist a little bit, and your shades get caught in the collar at some point, but eventually you have it on. You step into your jeans and slip those on. You debate on whether or not you want to go to the bathroom just yet. Your Bro might be in it, and you'd rather avoid him this morning. After a few minutes of having a inner argument with yourself, you brace yourself for a confrontation with him. You step over some of your shit that littered your room and quietly open your door. You peak outside and see nothing yet. You step out of your room and quickly fast walked to the bathroom soundlessly. You reach for the knob and then freeze at the sound of your Bro's door opening.  
"David?" you hear a gruff voice ask.  
You bite your lip and look at the floor.  
"Yeah?" You reply quietly.  
"You up?"  
_ "Well, no shit, asshole."_ You think to yourself. Thank God, Bro can't read minds.  
"You up?" He repeats.  
"... Yeah?"  
You hear him grunt and him walk down the wooden staircase to the living room down below. You quietly send a thank you prayer to whatever god is watching over you at that moment and open the door to the bathroom. Your bathroom was a bit of a mess, but it wasn't too bad like it normally was. You look at yourself in the mirror and gently remove your shades from your eye. You were greeted by your abnormal crimson eyes and you examine the damage from earlier. Your right eye was swollen, but not swollen shut. You could still see fine, which was good enough for you. There were no cuts on your cheeks, and your freckles looked like freckles. Other than your black eye, your face was fine. Better than the usual. Bro must have gone easy on you. _"You still look like a fucking sex god."_ You think, smirking to yourself.  
But, covering up your lip was going to be a pain in your ass. You examine your busted lip in the mirror and frown. Yup, this needed work. You reach over to the towel rack, grab a washcloth, and wet it in the sink. You turn off the water and slowly you start cleaning up the dry blood on your lip. After a minute or so of cleaning your lip, you look a bit better. If anyone asks, you could lie and say that you bit your lip too hard while you were eating. You place your shades back on your face and run a hand through your hair. It looked decent enough, you decided, so you just finished up by brushing your teeth. You walk out of the bathroom and stop by your room to grab your black backpack and phone. You always brought your phone with you. No exception. Ever. You slowly creep down the stairs and hear the news as you walk down. Bro's sitting on the couch, like he always does when he's home. You glance down at the time on your phone. 6:50, enough time for you to stop by Dirk and Jake's for breakfast. You slowly walk past Bro, hoping that he wouldn't notice his presence. But, sadly, this wasn't your morning and he turned around to look at you through his anime shades.  
"Where ya going, lil man?" He says in a irritated tone.  
Yep, already, he seems pissed at you for no reason.  
"School. Like every Tuesday." You reply nonchalantly.  
He was not getting the best of you this morning.  
"At 6:50 in the fucking morning?"  
"Early bird gets the worm; isn't that what everyone says?"  
Bro continues to frown at you; not amused by your answer. He grunts once again and turns back to the news. You grab your normal pair of converse and slip out of your apartment. You quietly put your shoes on outside of the door and then look around you.  
The hallways are empty again. Nothing had really changed since you came back earlier that morning. You walk about two doors over until you reach 413; Dirk and Jake's apartment. You kneel down and slip your hand underneath their welcome mat. You find the spare key and unlock the door. You smell the familiar smell of coffee and waffles. You drop your backpack by the door and smirk, looking at the nice and neat living room. Dirk is sitting at the dining table next to the kitchen and Jake is standing over a stove with a apron on. Dirk looks up at you and gives you a smirk. You walk over to the table and sit down on the other side; across from Dirk.  
"Waffles again, Jake?" you say. "Are you secretly from Belgium?"  
Jake chuckles at your comment and continues to cook; not looking up.  
"Well, considering I'm the only one around here that actually knows how to cook right." He replies, his slight Australian accent causing your smirk to grow.  
Dirk let out a small huff and sips from his coffee cup.  
"I was never really taught how to cook right, English," He says smirking. "That's why I'm dating you, cause you actually know how to fucking cook right."  
"Oh really? Am I only good for just that?"  
"Well, you're good in other ways too. Just your cooking is what stands out the most to me."  
You listen quietly to the two argue a little bit over little stuff until Jake starts talking to you after Dirk had stopped going into detail about how much he loved his face.  
"So, I'm guessing your going to start keeping the spare key with you at all times now?" He says as he places a plate full of waffles on the table.  
You give him a small shrug.  
"I dunno, bro. I'm worried Bro might find out about all of this and get pissed. So, I may just still keep the key under the mat." You reply. "I mean, if he found out, it would be a huge shit storm and then we'd all die from all the shit we would have to endure. It'd be like fucking sharknado only more severe."  
Jake places a plate and a fork in front of you and frowns.  
"I wouldn't mind seeing a sharknado." Dirk replies, smirking at you.  
You give him a shaded 'are-you-fucking-serious?' look and he gives you a small smartass smile in return. The three of you start eating hungrily and in silence. You can tell Jake wants to say something but he has yet to say what is on his mind. You enjoy the warm food and quietly sit there in the silence and Dirk went back to reading his newspaper. Eventually the food is completely devoured and the faint buzzing of the news on the big TV in the living room is heard.  
"How bad was it last night?" Jake says quietly, breaking the awkward silence. Dirk looks up from the newspaper he was reading and was about to say something but then shuts his mouth and then looks at you expecting a truthful response instead of the mild bullshit that you usually tell Jake. You look at the other man and let out a deep sigh.  
"It was just the usual." You mumble.  
You hear Jake take a deep sharp intake of breath.  
"Is that why your wearing your shades in front of us? I understand that you and Dirk have a eye condition so I try to keep the lights dim."  
"It's not about the eye condition."  
You look over at Dirk for some support, but he just gives you a shrug.  
"Do you have a black eye... again?"  
"Yes." You pause. "But, it's not as bad as last week. I'm fine. It's just my wrist and my eye are swollen. Nothing to really freak out about."  
"David, you act like we freak out over little things."  
"Dave," You correct him; not wanting him to use your full name. "But, yet you do. You two are always pestering me about my Bro's business with me. Just back-"  
"Dave," Jake says sighing. "I know how you feel about us being in you and your Bro's business. But, Dirk and I both care for your well being. What Bro is doing to you is wrong. No child or teenager at that matter should have to go through all this. We're just trying to help you.  
"I know, you've lectured me about this multiple times." You sigh. "Can we please talk about something else besides this?"  
"How's school been?" Dirk says, helping changing the subject. "You bringin' good grades home, kid?"  
"The usual." You reply. "Just A's and B's. Occasional C. Nothing to worry about."  
Dirk gives you a small satisfied nod.  
"Better than what I did. I always got C's and D's. That's why I decided to go with my passion and do electronic music and work with professional DJs. But, you on the other hand, actually have a better shot at a good future than what I did."  
"Also," Jake adds in. "Just look at your poetry pieces. I personally think they're beautiful and need to be put out there in the world."  
"But, my poetry is terrible. Even Bro says-"  
"Fuck what Bro says." Dirk says cutting you off. "Dave, you're your own person. Stop letting that dick tell you what to do with your life."  
"Dirk and I are also here to support you 100 percent. Just at least, do something besides follow inside your Bro's footsteps." Jake adds.  
The three of you sit in silence. You honestly liked this kind of silence. It was comforting because there was at least someone there to be in that silence with you. You look over at Jake's tanned face and can't help but actually appreciate what he just said. As much as they hound you about your relationship with Bro or your future; they at least were there to help you when nobody else would. Jake's green eyes catch your shades crimson and he gives you a small smile.  
"Sorry that we've been pestering you about your life, Dave, but we at least want some assurance that your going to be all right."  
"Instead of ending up in the fucking streets as a cocaine seller."  
You give them both a small smile. You don't even bother to think of a sarcastic remark to Dirk.  
"I promise I won't become some sort of drug dealer." You say. "Besides, that be extremely fucking unironic even if I did become one because everyone's probably expecting it."  
Dirk lets out a small huff and Jake chuckles and rustles your hair. You smooth it back down and the three of you sit in a comfortable silence. Eventually, you decide to glance at the clock hanging on the wall over the stove. It reflected 7:30 back at you. Time flies whenever your having a to dig into your deep personal problems for the people that care for you 100% of the time. You stand up, your chair scraping against the tiles floor, and you sling your backpack over one shoulder. Dirk's attention snaps back at you and Jake sips on his coffee thoughtfully.  
"I have to get to school." You announce. "I don't need another Friday night detention."  
Dirk smirks at you.  
"They aren't all that bad," He says. "I remember when I used to get them all the time. In high school, I was the shit, man."  
You roll your eyes as he starts to launch into one of his 'when I was in high school..' stories and give Jake a curt nod. He smiles back and waves you goodbye as you leave their apartment. You see some of the Noir kids waiting at the elevator like every morning and you kindly nod to them as they wave at you. You decide to take the stairs since you didn't feel like waiting at the elevator. In the mornings it tend to get a bit crowded with all the people in the apartment complex trying to squeeze into one elevator. You hit the ground floor and saunter to the door. As you pass the receptionist, you give him a curt nod and he nods back. The tenants were always really nice to you, even if they were oblivious.  
The cold air hits you and you can feel the promise of snow in the air. People were bustling past you and the streets were full of cars as expected for a huge city such as New York. You get the sense of claustrophobia living in this city, but it never bothered you. Just something about being surrounded by people comforted you. Even if the people were total strangers, it was comforting. You were always alone at home for hours until Bro finally gets back from work, drunk as always. Even then, he holes up in his room to go despair over who knows the fuck what. You past another block and soon come upon the prison you call school. It's long brick building towering over you as if it wanted to swallow you up whole. Windows were scattered evenly and you silently thank the people who built the high school for that. You always sat by the window in class because it always passed the time until you had to go home. They called your school Alternia High. You never understood what sort of obscured name "Alternia" was, but you figured whomever the person or place was, they must have been great enough to have a high school built in their honor.  
You pull your phone out of your back pocket to check the time. 7:50. Enough time for you to hang outside of the school before you have to face hell. Some kids from your school push past you and jog up the steps to get to their classes. You sit on the stone side railing of the steps and get lost in your thoughts. You hear the warning bell ring and let out a small sigh. Today felt like it was going to be a long day. You brace yourself for the coming storm and enter the dreaded school. The hallways were somewhat empty. There were the occasional kid scrambling to get to his/her's class. The usual boring routine that you had grown used to. Eventually the final bell rings and you had yet to get to your English class. You decided you'd make up some believable excuse or some bullshit that the teachers tend to believe. That's when you see him. A lone kid looking lost in the huge hallways of this school. His dark hair looked like he had just rolled out of bed and had only cared to brush it to the right. His deep blue eyes were staring intently behind a pair of black rectangular framed glasses at the schedule in his hands. He wore a white shirt with some sort of green slime creature on it, a pair of jeans that seemed a little lose because he wore a green belt around his waist, and matching green converse to complete the outfit. He had a green backpack slug over his shoulder and another bag on the other side of him. This kid was actually kind of cute compared to all the other guys and girls that went to this school. You shake your head and clear your thoughts. You told yourself you would never consider romance ever since you broke up with your friend and ex-girlfriend, Terezi. You stand in place and casually wait for the kid to look up from his schedule. Eventually, he does and he spots you. He gives you an embarrassed buck toothed grin and approaches you.  
"Hi," He says sheepishly. "Do you know where AP English with Mrs. Paint is? It says Room 207 but I can't seem to find it."  
So, he was in your English class. How come you never seen him before?  
"Yeah," You reply coolly. "I actually have her class next so I can just take you there."  
His blue eyes light up.  
"Really? Thank you. I'm new here so everything's just super confusing. By the way, my name's John. John Egbert."  
"Dave." The two of you start walk up the stairs to the second floor of the school. John follows slowly behind and is fumbling with his schedule. You smirk at his awkwardness and clear your throat.  
"You new around here?" You ask.  
He looks up at you and smiles.  
"Eheh, yeah, I am. I just recently moved from Washington to here. My Dad recently took a business job here in New York so we moved here."  
_"Man, this kid is an open book."_ You think as you two reach the last few steps of the stairs. You push open the door and hold it for him. He mumbles a quiet 'thanks' and you close the door.  
"Well," you say. "You're going to get eaten alive in this place, let me tell you. It's like a fucking jungle and only the people that have good social status is not the victims."  
John's smile falters a tiny bit and he looks at the ground.  
"I hope it's not too bad." He mumbles.  
You shrug and you two continue to walk to class.  
"So, why are you wearing shades inside a building? Isn't that out of dress code or disrespectful or something like that?" He asks curiously looking at your shades from the side.  
You frown and glance over at him. Praying that your black eye isn't showing from the side of your face. But, it doesn't seem like he's made any sort of discovery on your face or anywhere else. Surprisingly, he hadn't asked you about your lip.  
"Nah," You reply. "Besides, it's none of your business."  
John shrugs and soon you two are standing in front of Mrs. Paint's door. You reach for the doorknob but look over at John who was still fumbling with his schedule. You reach over and snatch his schedule and scan it over. It looked like he had nearly every class with you except for music (which you had chosen because you wanted to learn another instrument besides your turntables). You hand his schedule back and smirk.  
"Seems like you have almost every class with me." You say nonchalantly. "Therefore, just stick with me all day and you'll figure out how to live in this prison."  
John smiles and nods.  
"Okay," He says cheerfully. "Just don't lose me in the hallways cause it seems like you can get easily lost in this place."  
You snort and finally decide to open the door. You let John enter first and then you follow. You give Mrs. Paint the excuse of that you were helping out the new kid (speaking of which was awkwardly standing in the nearest corner; looking like he wanted to disappear). She understands and let's you go sit in your usual spot in the back of the classroom between an empty seat and the hipster kid that everyone loathed, Eridan. He regards you with a small "hmph" and continues with what he was doing before you had sat down. John eventually is introduced and he sits in the empty seat next you. He gives you a shy toothy grin and you roll your eyes underneath your shades. But, there was one thing you know for sure, this kid was going to be the death of your heart. You could already feel a small flutter in your stomach every time you looked over at that dork. Just the way his eyes had a small spark in them and the way his hair sometimes looked like it defied gravity. You shake you head of those thoughts once again. This was not cool and this was never going to happen. You couldn't have any sort of romance in your life. Especially with Bro the way he is. If you even took a girlfriend, or boyfriend (you've dated one guy in the past but you two soon broke it off) home; Bro would always put on a ridiculous act. He would always act like the good Bro that you wished you would see more of without people around. And after the boyfriend or girlfriend would leave, he would once again revert back to the way he was. The true Bro that you had gotten use to. The true abusive Bro that you loathed with all your heart. There was no way in hell that you were ever going to date again. Not even if it was for this Egbert kid.

* * *

**AN:  
Sorry guys that this was EXTREMELY late ;n; I didn't mean for that to happen. I also feel like some parts were really really rushed cause I wanted to go ahead and get to introducing John c: God, I love John~ But, about Dave's music thing:  
I want to put up a poll or whatever. Just vote in the reviews.  
But, what else should Dave play? I see him as a guitar, cello, or bass person.  
So, vote. There's three choices:  
1) Guitar  
2) Violin  
3) Cello  
But, yeah, just vote in reviews.  
This AN is turning really long, so I'll just stop now~  
(I also really hope that none of the character's sound OOC either ;n; )  
*absconds*  
~Emi  
**


	3. Chapter 3: Pulling a Piano From a Pond

**AN:**  
**Holy shit, guys, I'm totally sorry ;A; School has started for me and I've been extremely busy working on homework and also juggling soccer on the side (but the season's over now so I can happily write this after school). Anyways,**  
**back to rambling.**  
**I would say somefin to all those great reviewers that have been reviewing and welcoming the new followers but I'm trying to make this brief and get to the story.**  
**So, thanks everyone for reviewing, following, and favoriting~ I decided Dave's going to play cello cause guitar is too cliché (it's true. literally, in almost every fic I read about Dave playing somefin else besides his turntables is guitar) and as much as I love violins, I'd rather have him play cello cause there's so great cello concertos featuring the piano on the side that I would love to do for later ;3 So, I thought cello would more suit him (sorry all who voted for guitar and violin ;A;)**  
**Anyways,**  
**I need to shut up.**  
**ALSO,**  
**Last little note (sorry this is like 4 months late otl) but I do ship DaveKat... But in this story it's a pale relationship (they're more like morails and such)**  
**(I also ship Stridercest otl. *throws in all otps*)**  
**HERE'S THE WONDERFUL THIRD CHAPTER!**  
**DISCLAIMER:**  
**I DO NOT OWN HOMESTUCK OR ANY CLASSICAL PIECES THAT ARE MENTIONED IN THIS CHAPTER!**

* * *

The classes went by in a blur and you found yourself sitting with some of your friend (mainly Karkat Vantas) at lunch. All you could really focus on though was the new kid. Even when Karkat started yelling at you about some drama shit that had been going on between him and Terezi, you still continued to think about Egbert. Speaking of Egbert, where was that kid? The last time you saw him was in Biology whenever he started rambling about how much he was excited to learn about the life cycle of frogs (which you had to admit, it was kind of cool. You guess Egbert's mood about frogs sort of rubbed off onto you).  
"EARTH TO FUCKASS, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!" Karkat's angry voice rings through your ears.  
You give him a little stoic nod.  
"Yeah," you respond coolly. "You and Terezi are having some relationship issues because of her best friend, Vriska is interfering, I totally get it. But, why are you telling me this? Why don't you run off and tell Kanaya or Gamzee? Don't you usally talk to them two about this kind of shit?"  
Karkat rolls his dark eyes at you.  
"Kanaya doesn't understand me and Gamzee's too stoned to understand. Besides, aren't you supposed to be my fucking bro or some shit like that?"  
You give him a half hearted shrug and continue to space out as he continues to colorfully rant. Your thoughts start drifting off to Bro, Dirk and Jake. You wondered what mood your Bro was going to be whenever you got home today, but it wouldn't matter whether or not he was in a good mood or not. Either way, he still treated you like shit and he was always in a bad mood. Dirk and Jake have been trying so hard for the past months, and you had to give them some credit for trying to "save" you from Bro's abuse. But, you had given up hope on ever leaving him.  
Your mind then drifts off to John. You have only known this kid for a few hours and already you feel something more than just bros forming inside your heart. But, how would Bro feel about it? Would he actually care whether or not you liked this kid? Or would he not give a single shit and just let you run your life? But, how could you even be with this kid in the first place? You couldn't bring him home with your Bro being the way he was. You slowly pick at your mashed potatoes in thought. Maybe if you just brought him over to Dirk and Jake's, maybe he won't even bother to bring up Bro? You shake your head. You need to clear these thoughts of him before you fucked something up. Besides, John didn't even seem like the type to date guys. He asked you during Biology about Vriska (the bitchy blonde who sat at the lab table in front of you), but it seemed like he was interested in her. But after you told him about what she did to this poor kid named Tavros (rumors had spread around like a wildfire last year about Vriska being a totally controlling girlfriend and how she sometimes would about Tavros, that poor handicapped kid), he quickly didn't seem so interested in her anymore. You weren't necessarily discouraging him from possibly dating her, but you were warning him. No jealousy or possible eliminating competition. Nope. Not at all. You pick at the slab of meat the school calls "meat loaf" and continue to look for him. You finally spot the bucktoothed wonder and wave him over. He sees you and gives you a toothy smile and casually sits down next to you on the right with his sack lunch. Karkat leans forward and raises a questionable eyebrow at you.  
"Who's this fuckass?" Karkat asks you, nodding in the direction of Egbert.  
"Fuckass has a name." you reply smirking. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"  
Karkat rolls his eyes and reaches across your body to tap on John's arm to get his attention. Karkat fails to get the new kid's attention and you nudge John lightly and nod in Karkat's direction. John smiles at you and then smiles at Karkat and holds his hand out.  
"Hi, I'm John and you are?" he says in that dorky voice of his.  
Karkat smacks John's hand away and rolls his eyes.  
"You don't have to be so goddamn formal." He says. "My name's Karkat and do not mention how short I am or else."  
You let out a chuckle.  
"Ignore him, John." You say jokingly poking him in his side. "He's just mad that he hasn't had his growth spurt like all of us. Even his girlfriend is taller than him."  
Karkat glared angrily at you and let out a small huff. You hear John let out an awkward laugh and it makes you smile.  
"So, John, where do you hail from?" Karkat asks poking at his meatloaf.  
John looked up from his sandwich that he had started to unwrap. It looked a million times better than the school lunch that you had to eat. You had to ask him about having a bite.  
"Well, I was born in Washington but with my Dad's job, we tend to travel around and finally we decided to move to where his work's headquarters is located; which is how I ended up here."  
You noticed as John continues to talk about his old life in Washington with Karkat that he kept picking nervously at the sleeves of his blue jacket. You noticed at the mention of Washington; his eyes wondered to the window. Maybe he missed the place, or maybe there was something more to the story than what he was telling? You wouldn't blame him for keeping things from people he just met. You glanced down at your phone and decided to leave lunch early for the music room. Besides, you had music next and you might as well get some extra practice in since you can never bring your music home in fear of your brother breaking you instrument in rage. Karkat and John's eyes traveled up to your face. You pick up your tray and give them a small nod.  
"I'm going to class early." you say to them. "I'll see you guys around."  
John gives you a small wave goodbye and Karkat give you a small "hmf". "See you tomorrow, Dave." John says cheerfully.  
You walk half-way across the cafeteria to turn in your lunch tray. You re-enter the halls to see other people that have decided to chill out in the hallway before classes started. You stop by your locker to grab the music you needed for the next class. You felt a sense of relief. Not because it was the end of the day, but because it was the one class that you actually enjoyed. You made your way through the people leaving the lunchroom and you walk across the school to get to the music room. The hallway is silent and empty. You slide your backpack off your shoulder and fish out your music. You manage to pull out your sheet music and you set your backpack at the edge of the door. You enter the music room and embrace the familiarity. You take in a deep breath of the musty music room and set your eyes upon you cello case in the back of the spacious room. You saunter over to the case and settle down into a seat and place your music on the music stand. You carefully unpack your cello and you feel atmosphere deep down inside of you calm down. Music was your only escape from the real world. You place the music on the stand and unzip the case. You lift out your chestnut cello and bow and smile. You had been playing the cello for about three years now. Bro thought it would have been great to pay for some cello lessons since you had told him that you were interested in it. That was back when he cared. For the past few months, you had considered quitting cello because it brought back the nostalgia of happiness but you could never bring yourself to. Even if your Bro doesn't care for you now, you still did. Besides, your cello had became a part of your escape from the real world and him. You prepare to start playing Bach's Prelude. You place your fingers gently on the strings and soon the room is filled with the sweet sound of your cello. You completely had forgotten you were in the real world and you had drifted off into a world of your own. You let your fingers do all the thinking. You switch from note to note smoothly as if you were a painter and were painting a beautiful picture using music. Eventually, you reach the peak of the piece and you're soon escalating down to the end. You take a deep breath and finish the piece with a sigh. The fantasy was over, and you were now back sitting in a music room. You hear a small clap and your head snaps up to whomever was clapping. That's when you see him again. That buck-toothed dork that you just met today and the one that you were forming a crush on. He gives you a small smile and glaces at your cello in awe.  
"I didn't know you played cello. I didn't think that you might have played any sort of instrument."  
You smirk.  
"I'm not your average cool kid, John." You reply coolly. He rolls his blue eyes at your comment.  
"Are you the only one that plays?"  
"What do you think?"  
He brings a chair over to where you're sitting and then slides into it. There's a moment of silence between you two as he examines your cello.  
"Have you ever played any cello concertos with piano?" He asks finally.  
You glance at him and frown.  
"No, I've only been playing for three years. I haven't given it a shot, but I would love to if I could find a pianist."  
John's eyes sparked with excitement at that comment. It was honestly kind of cute seeing him this excited over music. It was clear he had a passion for it like you did.  
"Well," He says excitedly. "I've been playing piano for about seven years now, and I've been waiting for a cellist to play some sonatas and concertos with for years now."  
You give him a cool smile.  
"Well, I come with a price. You can't necessarily just buy perfection like me."  
John give you a eye roll.  
"Name your price, Strider."  
You smirk.  
"We practice at least three times a week, you buy me dinner on the nights we run over,throw in some Doritos and apples juice, and I'm yours."  
John laughed and nodded his head.  
"It's a deal, but I dunno about the dinner part. We may end up eating fast food because I can't afford anything too fancy."  
"Pft, fancy's overrated anyways."  
John stands back up and looks at you. His deep blue eyes connected with your bruised crimson's. He gives you a small reassuring smile.  
"I gotta get to class." He says.  
"Yeah, but it's not like class even matters. You could just stay here and chill in the music room with me like in those cliché high school animes. It's not like the teachers even care."  
That gets you a laugh out of him that you wanted. He walks to the door and looks back at you. He hesitates and then stands there looking at you.  
"I'm so glad you were the first person that I met today." He says smiling. "Well someone had to show your ass around this school."  
He laughs again and your heart flutters. How the hell can this kid make you feel this way? You haven't felt this way in ages.  
"But... Thanks. I really appreciate it and I'm really looking forward to us working together on music and hopefully hanging out."  
"Yeah." You manage to say in a daze.  
He gives you another small smile and leaves the room. This kid was making you fall in love with him; you just knew it. The way he smiled at you and happily openly talked around you, it made you feel like you actually had someone that wanted you around. He didn't even say anything about your busted way he smiled at you and the way his eyes shined whenever you agreed to practice with him. You had just met this kid, and you were already falling for him. You hadn't felt these feelings in years. The last time you felt these feelings was whenever you used to hang around Bro before he became how he was now. Oh god. What would Bro think? What would Dirk and Jake think? They'd have a huge "Dave-is-a-homo-" party just in your honor. You shivered at the thought of the two making a big deal out this after all the bratty girlfriends you've brought home to them. But, they were the least of your worries. If Bro found out, he would probably continue to hurt you only multiplying the pain by a million. You looked down at the floor, letting your blonde bangs fall into your face. You honestly wanted to have every class with John, but you couldn't. You wanted him to stay with you and not leave you like all the others have. What if he found out about your crush on him? You shook your head. There was no way in hell John or anyone was going to find out.

* * *

**QUICK AN:**  
**Ahahaha, I'm posting this at 10:30pm. So, that's a decent time. I'm so so so so sorry that I haven't been updating. Like, I swear, I've been in the writing mood... I just haven't been working on this. Like, I have a shit ton of ideas for this, but I can never finish one. But, this was like a 2/3 filler. Like, the plot is barely taking off otl. Anyways, I'm going to make this short so I can go work on my original story. So, thanks guys for being patient with me c:**

**REVIEW, RATE, OR WHATEVER~ But, yeah~ Sorry.**

**(Also, if you catch any typos... sorry about that. ALSO, THIS ISN'T EVEN FUCKING 3,000 WORDS GODDAMN IT! UGHKJBGFJKDZHGKOZHZDJCB)**

**Also,**

**no indentations ahahahaha. Cause who needs those.**


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